When I sought out a lemon dessert recipe that was more than just okay for a friend’s birthday, I felt called to look beyond lemon meringue. I wanted a dessert that was the best a lemon could offer. Something tart, not too sweet, something that packed a punch and was memorable. That was when I found this pie, and it’s shocking how easy it is.
It’s a close relative to a chess pie: decadent, custardy and perfect. You get a thick custardy filling with a gorgeous crisp top, and it doesn’t even need a meringue to steal the show.
The original recipe is from Kardea Brown, but I’ve made a few small tweaks to dial back the sweetness and simplify it a bit. Kardea’s version uses homemade crust, and if you’re feeling up to it and want to make your crust from scratch, I suggest you do!
I resist getting out my food processor whenever possible, so I used store bought refrigerated crust and it turned out perfectly. So perfect in fact, that I got multiple glowing texts about this pie. Here’s how to make your own!
A Lemon Pie Worth Writing Home About
DifficultyEasy
Servings8
Prep time15 minutes
Cook time1 hour
This classic southern chess pie balances the tartness of lemon juice with a sweet and tangy buttermilk custard.
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust of your choice
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1¼ cups buttermilk, room temperature
- 4 large eggs & 1 yolk, room temperature
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- whipped cream, for topping
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a standard pie plate with your dough, then crimp the edges.
- 2
Zest and juice your lemon.
- 3
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, buttermilk, eggs, egg yolk, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla until well blended.
- 4
Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to incorporate.
- 5
Pour the filling into the dough. Bake until the top is golden and set around the edges with a slight jiggle in the center, about 1 hour.
- 6
Let the pie cool to at least room temperature before digging in. I recommend refrigerating overnight before serving. Serve with whipped cream.
